Our second week in Chiang Mai was very relaxed (mostly!) with schoolwork in the mornings and every afternoon in the pool of our apartment block.

Phoebe and I put in a couple of full days of schoolwork, however she is proving to be a bit harder to motivate when it comes to schoolwork than Imogen. While Imogen gets stuck in, gets the work done and often asks for more, Phoebe draws it out, is easily distracted and is testing my patience. This homeschooling is hard work!

Worldschooling on the other hand is proving delightful. So what is the difference? We see homeschooling as teaching to a pre-determined curriculum provided by the school at home (thus far only focusing on English and Maths in the homeschooling department). Worldschooling is “when one actively experiences and learns from the world around [you]” (Gerzon, 2007). Perhaps it is simply drawing on the situations and locations we find ourselves at any given time and extending their knowledge and understanding when they show their natural inquisitiveness. Some common questions we’ve fielded are, “is it good for you?” – in response to the many interesting foods we have come across in markets or restaurants; “how much is that in our money?” – when observing us bartering for local transport or doing any shopping; or our favourite so far …“Do Monks wear anything under their robes?”

We had the opportunity to get this question answered at a ‘Monk Chat’ during a visit to yet another temple, but the girls were too embarrassed to ask our monk and Dave didn’t think it would give the right impression if he asked. As monks can’t touch or accept anything directly from a woman (things must be passed to a man first), I thought it a bit forward to be asking about their underwear. So we keep wondering…
Imogen in particular has been very interested in the Monks, especially the novice Monks, asking all about their beliefs, the accepting of alms, what the different coloured robes signify and more. So we have been delving a bit deeper thanks to Google and learning along with them.

Thailand is a deeply religious country with 90% of the population following the Buddhist faith. Buddhism underlies all activities and is the backbone of Thai culture – a culture that has survived intact and independent for so long largely because of the principles of the Buddhist religion.

Phoebe and Immi are now probably much more aware of Buddhism than Christianity. I can count the amount of times I have taken them into a church at home on one hand, whereas I couldn’t count the number of temples or other places of worship we have visited during our travels over the last few years. Why…? Temples (Wats) are the centre of community activity. They can serve as schools, orphanages, theatres, meeting halls, youth clubs or playgrounds. The temples are often in the centre of the town, as in Chiang Mai, so the local markets surround them with the temple grounds even used as eating places – open air food stalls like the one where we had dinner one night – (8 small dishes for $4 although we passed on the insect omelet).

There is no feeling of remoteness or superiority in a Thai wat. It is the repository for all aspects of the life and spirit, as well as the spirituality of the community it serves. Where Christian religions preach that one must have ‘blind faith’ in the aspects of the doctrine, Buddhism teaches that you should ‘question everything’ until you find an answer that satisfies you. Buddhism not only teaches tolerance, it practises it. It does not claim that other religions are false, it encourages you to make your own judgement.  This is one religion that sits a bit easier with me…
Where was I – oh yes worldschooling – it is such a ‘natural education’ and it doesn’t feel forced, difficult or repetitive. Most of all, it is usually very well retained in the minds of our little students unlike those times tables and definitions of verbs and adjectives!
One afternoon while Phoebe and I were involved in the world of poetry, alliteration and onomatopoeia, David and Imogen went out walking through the neighbourhood to get the washing done and to the markets for vegies. Dave came back with stories of their wonderful conversation following Immis’ question, “who was the first person in the world”, no doubt influenced by the numerous visits to temples and other places of worship. David went to lengths in presenting both sides of the arguments for eveloution and creation, trying to give a balanced view in order for her to weigh up the merits for each case. Immi, excited by the prospect of the monkeys making tools and evolving,  the discussion ended after the question, “So, did the monkeys make the wheel, then the bicycle, motorbike, the car and truck?” She is a classic for comments made tongue in cheek and said with a little mischievous grin.

David also came back minus the beard he had been growing for the last month while Immi took photos of the procedure!